The Kemper Gala
The whole Delorean time machine hasn’t worked out quite yet. However, Kansas City did its own time traveling at this year’s annual Kemper Gala. Held on October 8th at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the Kemper Art Institution held it’s yearly fundraising bash.
The 2016 Kemper Gala celebrated art, music, and design from the 70’s through an experiential evening of food, music, and performances. They designed the event to be an immersive look into the flower power decade. Patrons dawned eclectic 70’s attire and posed with themed photo ops around the Kemper Museum.
The evening kicked off with all the class and amenities you’d expect from one of the top cultural institutions in the Midwest. Valet service, champagne served up at the door, an oyster bar and, well, an all-around movie star atmosphere. Various well knows KC philanthropists and museum patrons flitted around the space enjoying the pop-up performances & aesthetics reminiscent of well-loved artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd, David Bowie, and Jim Morrison.
MAKE’S Involvement
MAKE was fortunate to be asked back on the planning committee to make the night happen. We formed a relationship after working with the Kemper on 2015’s Bright Nights themed gala. Working with the committee was an awesome experience. We had the opportunity to assist with a number of tasks. Event concepting, videography consulting, creative social content development, interactive experience design and print/ad design.
Our design team ran with their psychedelic theme and had fun utilizing their photos to create custom pop art invites and print advertising for SPACES magazine, the KC Business Journal, and other local publications. Our favorite part though? Playing on the theme of photo op experiences throughout the gala, we designed a series of Snapchat filters. A huge hit for the audience at the gala.
Finally, working with the Kemper on their amazing events was an awesome opportunity. It allowed MAKE to help our art community and encourage KC’s culture. The support from all Kemper events ensures that Kansas City has access to world-class exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. They also provide educational programs for children and learners of all ages, school tours and transportation cost reimbursement, opportunities to engage with artists, and more.
Kansas City is fortunate to have institutions that are admission-free. Especially when we’re seeing more and more arts program cut across our country. If you’re in the marketing, tech, and design industry like us, you know the importance of art and design around the world. So, keep supporting our local art institutes and we’ll see you next year for the amazing Kemper Gala!
